ZERO

From Sonic Retro

ZERO, known very occasionally as E-100 Alpha, is a villainous Eggman robot which debuted in Sonic Adventure. Possibly some sort of prototype for the E-100 Series, ZERO is a large green and black robot with red eyes that vaguely resembles a trash can with arms.

In Sonic Adventure, ZERO functions as the principal foil in Amy Rose's story. The robot spends the game chasing a blue flicky named Birdie who had taken refuge with the pink hedgehog. ZERO chases Amy around Station Square, finally catching up in Twinkle Park. After being imprisoned in the Egg Carrier, Amy escapes with help from E-102 Gamma and wanders into the Hot Shelter, where ZERO found her and started chasing her again. The robot functions not just as a plot device, but also as a persistent threat within Action Stages themselves, following Amy around each of her levels, and more often than not is Amy required to avoid it by using stealth or simply running away. She can attack ZERO to hold it back, but hitting it too many times will make it enter an "overdrive" mode which makes Amy's hammer ineffective.

ZERO is unequivocally destroyed by Amy in the boss battle at the end of her story. Despite this, and perhaps as testament to the crazed, psychedelic rules that hold sway in the Special Zone, the robot reappears in Sonic Advance 2, as guardian of that game's Special Stages. Here ZERO is known simply as Dr. Eggman's Guard Robot.

Boss Fight - "ZERO"

Amy and Birdie (Known as Lily in Sonic X) return to the splashed-down Egg Carrier after Final Egg, in an effort to locate the Flicky's missing family members. Much to everyone's delight, they are successful - Amy arrives just after Gamma's mutually destructive battle against E-101β mkII, and the freed birds can all join up. However, just as avian reunions begin, Birdie is punched out of the sky by ZERO's extend-o-fist! Amy's had enough of running away, and readies her Piko Piko Hammer for combat.

ZERO chases Amy around the Egg Carrier's main deck, targeting her with missiles and extensible fists which you must sprint to outrun. The robot is impervious to direct damage from Hammer Attacks; Amy has to take the pro-wrestling route and knock him into the ropes at the edge of the ring. The electric fence pops ZERO's armour, exposing a glowing head-core which is very much susceptible to the hammer.

As with other Sonic Adventure bosses, ZERO starts to vary his attacks as he takes more damage. Jumping shockwave-blasts add to the missiles, and later the robot holds still in the center of the ring and spins his electrified wire-arms around the whole arena. Defeating him concludes Amy's story.

Trivia

Trivia sections are badTry and incorporate this information into the main article. See the manual of style to find out why.

ZERO is never referred to as an E-100 Series robot, or as "Alpha", in Sonic Adventure or its associated strategy guides. However, the name "E-100 Alpha" is canonical, appearing in Amy's section on the Japanese-language Sonic Adventure Dreamcast homepage. The name Alpha also appears on the somewhat less defunct Japanese Sonic Channel page for Gamma.

Unlike the other E-100 Series robots, there is no animalorganic battery inside ZERO when he explodes after the boss.

During the opening cutscene of Gamma's story, Eggman calls him "the second of my E-100 robots". Since Beta is the other one, this implies that Eggman does not consider ZERO to be a true E-100 model.